"A GOOD SIGN THAT BAD THINGS ARE HAPPENING" has been used by TV weathermen to describe a damaging weather pattern moving through the area.

"A GOOD SIGN THAT BAD THINGS ARE HAPPENING" can also describe damage done to a person's neck by a whiplash injury from some traumatic accident. The force imposed on the neck during a violent back and forth or side to side motion can easily cause severe damage.

Whiplash, also called Cervical Hyperflexion-Hyperextension injury and "CAD", cervical acceleration/deceleration trauma, is often seen in auto accident victims. It can occur often in a rear-end collision. Whiplash can be seen in children tossed in the air and caught or by hitting a bump while riding a bike. Roller coasters are also causes of whiplash injuries. The word, "Whiplash," is makes us visualize the heavy head thrown whip-like forward and back. The head heaves forward and slams back taking the poor, slender neck for a ride. Unfortunately, women have smaller necks and are not as heavy as men, so they are at even greater risk of whiplash injury.

Damage caused by a whiplash trauma includes stretching and tearing of the supportive soft tissues of the neck. More threatening is that the vertebra, or spinal bones in the neck, can become misaligned, off balance and abnormal. The proper balance and relationship of these bones is vital. The brain sends messages through the entire body from nerves that exit at spinal joints. It is critical that they line up correctly, allowing the nerve pathways to work at their best. Loss of ability to move the head and neck in normal ranges of motion is also a result of whiplash in many instances.

According to several recent studies, including a 10-year study, the chronic head and neck pain that remains after whiplash is frequently caused by the relationship of one cervical bone to another (facet joints). It is well documented that sprain and strain type injuries to the spine cause post-traumatic osteoarthritis (a progressive, degenerative type of arthritis). If left untreated, these injuries can become a "pain in the neck" for years to come.

Chiropractors work gently to remove the interferences to nerve communications. Chiropractors use adjustments specifically designed to encourage the restoration of the lost spinal balance and improve alignment of the neck bones. Without interferences, nerve pathways are free to work the body's organs and tissues and healing takes place, while pain becomes a bad memory.

Chiropractic care is, for many thousands of whiplash victims, A GOOD SIGN THAT GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING!!